11/17/10

Do you know about the Leaners? People who lean in when a photo is being taken? Sometimes it's just two people leaning towards each other. Sometimes it's a group of people all leaning towards the center, perhaps thinking if they don't they'll not be in the photo.

I give my best friend an elbow nudge about this because so often she has sent me family photos where one or more family member is leaning. I call them The Leaners.

I now give you...the Kneelers. An entire family of kneelers. And they did this because...?

Click on image to see it larger.

Were they worried someone across the street would see them being photographed so they tried to hide behind the porch railing? Did they know their nosy neighbor Mrs. Plunken would come rushing across the street wanting to be in the shot?

Were they a family of performers that liked to duck walk?

Or was it because that's where the sun was? Did the photographer want them to go off the porch onto the lawn, but the patriarch of the family refused and sat his rear down on a tub of nails forcing the rest of the family to kneel to be around him?

We'll never know. Nothing is written on the back. They will henceforth be known as The Kneelers.

Search Tattered and Lost

Loading...

The Quiet Art of Reading at Amazon

Before being overwhelmed by a future of snapshots of people staring at nondescript tablets and smartphones, it would be nice to be reminded of the romance of reading a worn copy of a favorite book in a quiet and comfortable place. The beauty of the act of reading should be celebrated. That is what this book attempts to do.

BUCKAROOS AND BUCKARETTES at Amazon

Tattered and Lost: Buckaroos and Buckarettes is a collection of vintage snapshots for those who remember riding the range when they were kids. These adventures usually consisted of sitting in front of a black and white television or running around the neighborhood with our shiny six-guns strapped to our sides. Our imaginations created entire worlds that never existed. We sang along with our heroes, convinced that with a song in our heart and a six-gun on our hip we could vanquish evil. This book is dedicated to all the other buckaroos and buckarettes who rode their imaginations into the sunset while humming Happy Trails. Buy it at Amazon.

CAKES, PICNICS, AND WATERMELON at Amazon

Collecting vintage photographs starts out innocent enough with a few snapshots here and there, but at some point it becomes a bit more obsessive and you find yourself longing for the next image that makes you laugh or ponder the irrefutable confusion of being human. This book, Tattered and Lost: Cakes, Picnics, and Watermelon, the fourth in a series, shows the quirky world of sharing food from the 1890s to the 1970s in the United States. Sit back and enjoy watching people cut cakes (some people do it with such style!), go on picnics without your relatives, and watch people eat watermelon. Yes, eat watermelon. An odd category for sure, but one sure to make you smile. Buy it at Amazon.

Vernacular Photographs at Amazon

Tattered and Lost: Vernacular Photographs, is volume 1 in my self-published books showing photos from my collection. Photographs play off each other on facing pages asking the viewer to come to their own conclusion as to what they are looking at. Included is a photo of the Pennsylvania Railroad S1 steam locomotive, designed by Raymond Loewy, on display at the 1939 New York World’s Fair. And one of the few known copies of a photo taken by Rudolph D’Heureuse in 1863 proving there were indeed camels used by the U. S. Cavalry is included. So take a step back in time and visit with some folks who long ago smiled and said “cheese” never knowing how long those smiles would last. Buy it at Amazon.

TELLING STORIES at Amazon

In need of writing prompts? Looking for a gift for a friend who loves vintage photographs? Tattered and Lost: Telling Stories is now available from CreateSpace and Amazon. Click on the image to find out more! Buy it at Amazon.

CHILDHOOD at Amazon

A new and expanded edition of Tattered and Lost: Childhood. Available at CreateSpace and Amazon. Better price, more pages, larger trim size. Click on the image to read more about it. Buy it at Amazon.

GENEALOGY SOFTWARE

Genealogy enthusiasts know that organizing and de-cluttering the vast amount of documents required to create a picture of a family’s history can be intimidating and time-consuming. Sort Your Story is the only organizing tool you’ll need to store all of your important genealogy data in one place. Sort Your Story takes the puzzle pieces of your family history and helps you create a complete picture – and instantly identify what pieces are missing. Click on the puzzle piece to go to the site.

SORT YOUR STORY COMPANION GUIDES FOR MAC AND WINDOWS

What is Tattered and Lost?

Tattered and Lost is about some of the found and/or vernacular photography in my collection.

Unless you're an incredibly organized person you probably have a few stray photos tucked away that you've forgotten about. No matter how many family members or friends say they love you, sooner or later, a photo of you is going to slip through the cracks and end up in the hands of someone who knows nothing about you. Such are the photos at this site.

THE PHOTOS

Photographs of the ordinary by the ordinary.
All photos are from my private collection. They may NOT be used in any manner without my permission. I retain all copyrights. Contact me if you wish to use one of them. You might be surprised by my answer.
All words are mine. I own them. Okay, well, the person who invented each word owns them. But I own my thoughts. It's about all I own. Don't steal my thoughts.